Full Day Taj Mahal & Agra Tour from Jaipur by Express Train

For what we paid, the experience was within our expectation....

We (3 pax) found this $20 per pax tour on Viator and really wanted to see if it was any different from those costing much more which has been previously reviewed by other travellers. So we lowered our expectations on the quality and content of the tour and as with all other tours in other countries expected it to end in the commission shops. We purchased the tour about 4-5 days before our trip and there was no contact from anyone confirming our hotel pickup etc. 2 days before the tour, I made a long-distance call to the number provided but was not answered, but was immediately returned called by the same number. The agent confirmed our reservations and promised to call again regarding the tour in 15 minutes. No phone call in 15 minutes so I called again in a few hours and was told that he would return my call in an hour. Also no call in an hour so I called again the next day with a more aggressive tone and that worked. It was then explained to me that they were not able to secure the train seats for some reasons and would therefore changed our tour to "by car" instead of Express Train "at no extra charge"....so that worked for us... Driver came on time at 6am and the Toyota Innova was good and clean with air-conditioning working excellently. I told the driver that we needed to stop for breakfast with local food (we were supposed to be served breakfast on the train) and he informed us that the next "proper" restaurant would be 100km ahead. 100km happened and he was unable to find a "proper" restaurant and we went on for 15, 20, 30 minutes, the "stop at Bharatpur" and we finally stopped at a "proper" restaurant approximately 50km from Agra. So we have travelled approximately 230km since 6am without breakfast...oh, I forgot to mention that early in the journey, we stopped at a cheese, egg and toast restaurant but we have asked for local fare so we refused... So we finally arrived at the office of the travel agent and was greeted by Muhammad Fauzan, the tour guide who appeared enthusiastic. The Taj Mahal Tour itself went well with no hitch. 2 of us (a couple) were "sold" the "photography" package. It was supposed to be a minimum of about 12 photos at 100Rps each but finally became 3000rps for all the shots in a CD. I saw the photographer walking away disappointed when he realised we did not want any paper prints of the photos... After Taj Mahal we were told we would be ushered to the commission shops which were soft-sold to us as "artisan-practise" shops/factories for future of Taj Mahal restorations etc etc. When I told the guide we did not want to eat lunch yet but would like some cold beverages, he suggested we went straight to the shops as they would serve free drinks there. I asked if they served lasi and when he said no, I insisted we stopped at a cafe that does and he concurred. The couple among us was quite happy to spend their monies so we spent quite a bit of time at the commission shops so that would be their choice. But I must say the sales people in the shops were world class.... In between, we went for lunch and paid for the lunch ourselves although the Important Info says "Lunch in a multi-cuisine restaurant (In All Inclusive)" We couple spent so much time (obviously at the pleasure of the shops and the tour company) at the shops and the guide did not bother to remind us that we still had Agra Fort and Baby Taj at Sunset to go to as per the itinerary.... I was no longer interested in any more walking after Taj Mahal, but we were any way conditioned to just get a glimpse of Agra Fort from the outside and no, Baby Taj at Sunset was not even mentioned.... So the final rush back to Jaipur 268km away was to begin at about 7 to 8pm with so much time spent at the shops... Driver was alert but was rushing through the journey to Jaipur and I chosed to keep awake as I wasn't sure how alert he would be after a 12-hour sweltering and stressful day. Finally arrived at our hotel in Jaipur at almost midnight. I'm giving an average score for the Taj Mahal itself as it was nothing spectacular to me except for my little bragging rights... I promised the guide I would write truthfully and this is what I am doing and I hope that other travellers can some how benefit from my experience. Honestly, the commission and money behind the people in this industry is endemic not only in India but elsewhere in the world. But it is still possible to have a good time and not be ripped off by anyone unless you chose to.